From Past Crimes
by goldenheartdreams
Summary: Loki escapes to Earth for another attempt at world domination and finds himself in the presence of a teenage girl. While he helps her deal with the loss of her family, she helps him adjust to a more simple and average world. That is, until an unwelcomed visitor finds Loki and captures him, threatening the newly found friendship between the two. Post-Avengers. Some language.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fanfic so please go easy on me! I had an idea in my head for a while of Loki and a girl whose family was killed in the NYC attack, and I finally decided to write it down! *I do not own any of the Marvel characters***

Timing is key in every situation, and in dealing with his particular situation, Loki didn't have to wait very long. The demigods Thor and Loki had just returned to Asgard using the power of the Tesseract, which was now being brought back into the safety of Odin's relic room. Loki knew of the prison room that was awaiting him, and he knew he had a small window of opportunity to execute his last-ditch effort.

It had to be done now, before the palace guards arrived. With his brother leading the way down the palace hall Loki used his magic to easily break his bindings. Before Thor could even turn around Loki flung him into the solid marble wall and landed on the ground.

"Loki!" Thor yelled as he looked up at his brother who was now ridding the muzzle from his face. "Stop with these feeble attempts at escape!" Thor made to stand up but was once again thrown to the floor and was now being held down by two projections of Loki.

"Ah, but think now brother," Loki said as the dark magic swelled in his body, "it's not an attempt if it actually works." The projections of Loki dissolved off of Thor and Loki was engulfed in a dark cloud before vanishing.

Dark magic takes skill and a lot of power to conjure, and in Loki's already beaten-down state it left him exhausted to simply remove himself from Asgard. As he flew through space and the realms, Loki took a moment to breath before focusing on his goal.

Earth. He will return to Earth and find a new way to claim it as his.

No one bothered to notice the small adolescent girl at the edge of the alley. The city as a whole was staring to recover from the extra terrestrial attack that had just happened, and every New Yorker was in a frantic rush to repair their own lives. The girl didn't receive a second glance as she sat on the ground with her back against the alley wall. Nobody could help her, and as she sat she wondered what would happen to her now.

Jaclyn was alone. Her family killed in the attack, she was sure of it. They were separated when the aliens started to pour down through the sky and she remembered watching her parents being pushed by the aliens along with a crowd into a bank.

She couldn't find her brother either. Little 9 year-old Benny was in the bathroom of the café when they were attacked. The café was rubble now, and she knows that Benny wasn't able to get out fast enough.

Jackie's stomach growled. She hadn't eaten in 2 days out of shock and lack of money. She had $25 in her bag, but had no idea how long she would need to make that last. After another hour she decided it was necessary to eat. Jackie slowly got to her feet and started to make her way down the street towards a surviving sub shop.

She could see the damaged Stark Tower, and considered for the first time asking the famous Iron Man for help. Maybe he'd be understanding and be able to get her home. However she knew that would be no good; Tony Stark only cared for himself, and tended to bend the rules to make them fit his needs more.

After buying her sandwich Jackie went back out onto the streets, and made her way to the opening of an alley. Jackie liked the allies so she could get away from the people, but she never went too far inside of them, she'd heard bad stories about what can happen in the allies.

Before Jackie could sit down to eat her sandwich, she noticed a disoriented man walking down the sidewalk trip and fall to his knees. Jackie watched him stumble to get up only to fall again. She walked over to the man and without saying anything grabbed his arms and helped him over to the narrow alley. Jackie sat him down then went to sit across from him.

Jackie could tell there was something about this man, but she couldn't tell what it was. Perhaps he could help her get home. She pulled out her sandwich and split it in half, giving part of it to the man. He looked quizzically at Jackie, she could see he was confused, but he was also tired and hungry so he took the sandwich and started to eat it.

"Who are you?" Jackie asked the man. He looked at her for a moment while he decided if he should tell her or not before coming to a conclusion and replying in a deep voice:

"Loki".

**Tell me what you think! Reviews will help me write better, and more character development will come!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So the first chapter was a little short, because it was mostly background information and the two characters meeting, these next chapters will be longer!**

Loki crashed into Earth and sat on the ground for a moment. Using dark magic really drained your strength. Loki pulled up his head and looked around him, tall buildings, lots of rubble and wreckage, and he could see the Iron Man's tower from a distance.

Ah, New York. The dark magic Loki had used recognized this as the last spot where he had used magic, thus bringing him back to this location.

Loki thought about his plan as he started to stand up. He needed to lay low until he regained his fell strength. He used his magic to transform his Asgardian clothes into a pair of Midgardian jeans and a simple t-shirt. Loki knew Thor would have Heimdell looking for him, so laying low will be a good idea to attempt avoiding his eye.

His plan was entirely different this time around, and instead of making a scene Loki planned to take things slowly. His brother and all the Earth's heroes would never be the wiser at this twist. He had done his research on the planet Earth, and knew all about the government of the most powerful country on Earth. So Loki would start at the bottom, and planned to work up to the top and to domination.

Loki started to walk down the sidewalk, very slowly for he was exhausted and still injured from his encounter with the green beast. Every step sent pain up his numb legs, and his torso felt twice as heavy. In his unbalanced state, Loki accidently tripped and fell back to the sidewalk.

"Damn," the god mumbled as he attempted to return to his feet only to fall back to his knees. Loki deeply considered just laying on the sidewalk until his strength returned, but before he knew it, he felt a light pressure on his arms. He was taken aback by the young Midgardian girl who was now helping him into an alleyway.

As she sat him down he stared at her to try to figure out her motives. Why was this girl helping the man who had just destroyed the city? Or was she taking him into the alley to kill him? Even this mortal girl most likely could succeed due to Loki's lack of strength. But no, she had not brought him deep enough into the alley to inconspicuously kill him.

So what was it? He noticed the girl was also analyzing him, but she had no fear in her eyes. Maybe she wasn't aware it was him who had destroyed the city, maybe his disguise was working. It must be working because she proceeded to take out a sandwich and give him half of it.

What was this? Loki thought as he tentatively took the half in her outstretched hand. He had observed how tired and starved this young girl was and yet she still shared her food with a stranger. However, he was also starving and weak, so he took the sandwich to his mouth and ate.

He wasn't sure if he should speak to her, he wasn't sure what to say that would sound "normal" in his undercover disguise. Lucky for him, the girl spoke first, "Who are you?"

Interesting for the girl to ask not his name – as he was aware that was the Midgardian way of meeting some – but she asked who he was. It was like she already knew his name, but wanted to know his intentions and his characteristics instead. Loki had to ponder this for a moment, how could he possibly answer her question, so he avoided her question and spoke his name in response.

"Loki".

* * *

Jackie knew there was something about this man, so when he revealed his identity, she didn't miss a beat. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Well then I guess my disguise isn't as flawless as I thought," Loki said after swallowing a bit of sandwich, then looked down to examine his clothes and mumbled, "I wonder what I need to fix to improve it…"

"It seems you have bigger problems to deal with than that," Jackie replied with a slight snap in her voice, "like the NYPD and all those secret agents are after you."

"The law enforcements won't be able to find me, and you won't tell them where I am." Jackie looked slightly shocked, and before she could speak again Loki continued, "You won't tell them where I am because you need something. You are weak and broken down yet you have given me your food, why? Because you gave me something and now you expect something in return, that's why. It must be something your puny mortal self could not achieve without help. And I can help you and in return you keep my secret, and keep me hidden."

Jackie leaned back and took another bite before answering. She thought about what Loki had said so far, she swallowed her sandwich and replied, "You think yourself above everyone, that when you give a command it will be carried out, but you can't control everyone, you can't tell them what to do. You were right that I need help, and maybe I was going to ask you for it, because I knew I couldn't do it alone and you had the power to help me. Threatening me won't do anything to influence me, you already killed my family and I have nothing else to lose."

He seemed to think about what she had just said, but when he spoke next he simply said, "Tell me what you need."

So she did. Jackie didn't want to go into detail with Loki so she kept her story short. "My family came to New York City for a vacation. We were out to eat when the aliens attacked and my mother, father, and little brother were all killed. We're not from around here so I need your help to get home, because I don't have enough money to buy a plane ticket and I only have my learners permit."

Jackie didn't know what to expect from Loki at all, probably a rude remark about a pity party or something. What she wasn't expecting at all was Loki's follow up question, "What's your name?"

* * *

Loki walked beside Jackie as they went down the street. He had regained enough strength to walk, but most magic would have to wait longer. Loki thought about what she had said in the alley. Her story was not extraordinary, her life was not important to him, yet for some reason Loki felt the need to help her.

So she led the way down the streets to a parking ramp. Jackie had told him that their family lives in the state of South Carolina, but had currently been residing in one of the rooms at the hotel located next to the parking ramp, and she took him to the car that she said belonged to their family.

Using the keypad, Jackie unlocked the car doors and sat in the driver seat. As Loki was ducking his head down to sit in the passenger seat Jaclyn explained how after her family drove up to New York, they kept the car parked in the parking ramp for most of their trip.

"The traffic in the city was too bad to drive the car around, so during our stay we left it here and usually walked or took the subway."

Loki had also noticed how naïve the girl was, after her initial anger at him, Jackie now seemed to trust Loki whole-heartedly. She looked calm while she started the car, and had no fear in her eyes whenever she looked at him.

She seemed not to care about Loki's reasoning for his attempt at ruling, but during the car ride, Jackie asked Loki about his childhood and his life on Asgard. Although Loki answered sourly regarding his so-called family, he felt it strange that he could easily tell her about it. They effortlessly made conversation as they drove the interstate.

Loki talked to Jackie about why she didn't leave sooner. "I don't know, I guess I'm just used to following the rules. It's the way my parents raised me. And one rule is you have to have an adult in the front seat when you have your learners permit." Jackie had a sad look in her eyes as a realization hit her, "I guess that's going to change now, always following the rules. Everything's going to be different."

He realized he had no idea what her plan was once she got home, "What are you going to do, once you get home but don't have your parents to care for you?"

Jackie took a deep breath, "I actually haven't thought about that part, because until now all I've been worried about was simply getting home. I guess I'll have to go into foster care or something. I didn't have anyone besides my parents to take care of me before."

Loki thought about this young, naïve girl, and how she was being pushed into adulthood too early. She wasn't ready for the demands and stress of it, or for the chaos of a foster home. There was no way he could let her go through the pains of adoption like he did.

He started timidly, "I could always, erm, stay with you Jaclyn. Only until you were settled, make sure you could handle things by yourself. I was adopted myself, and I don't want you to have to go through that. Sometimes it ends bad, with attempts at world domination and all." A small chuckle escaped Jackie's lips at that last part, and her laugh put a smile on Loki's face.

When night fell they took an exit in Virginia to a rest stop, where they parked and reclined their seats to go to sleep. The remainder of the trip will be finished the next day. Before they went to sleep Jackie glanced over to Loki and said, "I'd like you to stay," Loki looked back at her with a slightly confused look and she continued, "Just for a while, I mean. Just until I get settled."

Loki smiled in his uncomfortable resting position, and wondered what it was about this young girl that made him think less about his own needs, and think maybe there was more to Earth than just ruling it.


	3. Chapter 3

Their trip ended when Jackie turned into a dirt driveway that led up to a quaint two-story house, surrounded by a tree-filled yard. Woods bordered the yard in the front of the house, and grasslands bordered it in the rear. The closest neighbors were just down the street, and town was only 5 minutes away.

This was a good area to stay low-key. An old town with a small population was the ideal setting for Loki to remain undercover.

Jackie parked the car and brought Loki inside. She walked into the kitchen, sat down on a bar stool, and turned to look at the attached living room and towards the stairs that lead to the upper level of the house. Loki followed her in and stood by the counter.

She sighed, "I never thought about this, but how am I going to be able to stay here? My parents are gone, how am I going to be able to make payments on this house?" Her tone was getting frustrated and desperate as she continued to talk, more to herself than to Loki, "I'm going to have to get a second job, and I'll have to quit the volleyball team, but the government will find out I'm living here alone – oh, this will never work…"

Jackie stopped mumbling and put her face in her hands. Loki knew he needed to do something to help her, and luckily, he had already thought that through. "I believe that's where I come in, Jaclyn," he started timidly, "I'm a sorcerer, and once my full strength returns, I can use my magic to help you survive here." Jackie looked at him through her fingers with questions in her eyes so he explained more, "I can make your government forget this home is even here, so no payments will be necessary."

"Wow, that's amazing. But what about the other things I can't do because I'm still underage? And I'm not living with an adult?"

Loki didn't know exactly how to say this so he just went for it, "Well, we did talk about me staying with you until you get comfortable, and I'm an adult, so I could always just, erm, become your guardian."

A thought flashed across Jackie's face and she paused. "I'm… going to have to think about that. This doesn't seem right, you killed my family." It was like she hadn't fully thought that fact through until now. "How do I know you won't kill me too?"

Loki was shocked she would suggest that, but after what had just happened in New York, he wasn't too surprised. He thought for a moment before responding, "Now Jaclyn, I don't know if there's any way I can prove to you that I would never do that. The fact that I had the chance to during the car ride or while you were sleeping but didn't should mean something to you. All I can give you is a promise. I will never harm you in anyway. I promise."

* * *

"_How could I have been so stupid? To trust the man who killed my family?" _

Jackie had run out of the house after Loki offered her his promise. She could see something in his eyes – was it sincerity, or was it just mischief? She didn't even respond to him, and just ran out the back door and to the edge of the yard where the woods met the grasslands.

Following a pre-existing path, Jackie made her way to a large pond that was surrounded by half trees and half meadows. She walked up to a short dock and stepped into a canoe floating in the water. After uniting the canoe from the dock, Jackie paddled out to the middle of the pond and stopped.

She could see her house through the tall grass, but it was a distance away, Jackie could make out the shape of a figure walking across the backyard to the patio who she knew to be Loki. She leaned over the edge of the canoe and stuck her fingers in the water, twirling them around in thought.

"_How could I have been so stupid? To trust the man who killed my family?"_ She stopped swishing her fingers in the water and lay down in the bottom of the canoe. _"But he's my only option; I don't want to go into foster care. He was right about that. Maybe I should have him be my guardian, I don't have anything else left to loose, and I could make sure he never hurts another family like he did to mine and most of New York City's." _

Jackie knew what she had to do. Her life was a mess now, and she knew it was one she couldn't clean up, but she had to stay with Loki. For some reason there was something about him that she felt she could trust. _"And he had made me a promise."_

* * *

Loki didn't know what to do after Jackie had ran out. He felt out of place in her house by himself, so he followed her out the back door she had exited from. He saw her run down a trail, but made no move to follow her. Loki knew what it felt like to have your whole life change in a single moment, and he gave her space to let her think.

Instead of following her he looked around the backyard, it was fairly large, with a few trees growing in it and a small unattended garden in the corner. Loki also saw a large rectangular sand pit with a net stretching across the width of it. He wondered if that was used for some kind of fight training.

There was a patio with some lawn furniture on it that Loki walked towards. As he sat down in a chair he looked away from the house and saw a pond with a small boat floating on it. His vision was exceptional, and Loki could see Jackie absentmindedly weaving her fingers through the water. He wondered if she believed him when he said he'd never hurt her. Jackie was so young and fragile that Loki didn't want anything or anyone to hurt her. Again Loki got thinking about this girl and wondering why he is now caring less about world domination.

He continued to sit on the patio with only his thoughts for some more time. Loki noticed little animals he had never seen before on Asgard, and heard some winged birds sing their songs. He was so absorbed in the nature around him that he didn't notice Jackie walk back up until she had sat down in the seat across from him.

"I'm sorry I ran out earlier," Jackie started, "I just miss my family so much already. And I'm hurt and feeling conflicted. But I do believe you, and I think I'm going to take you up on your offer."

"On me being your guardian?" Loki asked.

"Yes. But it has to be done legally, we have to do the paperwork, or else it's meaningless. But you're not from this world, so I don't know how exactly you'd be qualified to be my guardian…"

Loki thought for a moment, "I know plenty of spells that can help us out with that issue."

Jackie chuckled, "More magic? I guess I'll have to get used to that happening a lot, with what's happening now."

"Magic is an assistant to my daily life, and yours now too." Loki replied. "As a sorcerer every breath I take I can feel the energy in the matter flowing, and performing it just comes naturally. So yes, it most certainly will be happening frequently."

The two went inside to clean up, and Jackie brought Loki a new pair of clothes. "My dad was about as tall as you are, these should fit you fine. There's also a spare room down the hall and to the right that you can stay in."

Loki thanked her, took the clothes, and went to change. When they were both cleaned up and presentable, they got in the car and Jackie drove them to the closest city.

"The people we need in order to do this don't have a place in our small town," Jackie said to Loki, "luckily the city isn't too far away and we'll be there soon."

They arrived downtown and walked into an office building. Jackie heard things like adoption could take up to a year to be valid, and was getting nervous until Loki took over. He spoke with a genuine knowledge on the subject, and subtly used his magic not only to make himself appear as legal United States citizen, but also to make the business go quickly. The paperwork was completed, filed, and legalized before the end of the day.

* * *

Once back at home, Loki took his turn sitting on one of the bar stools at the counter as Jackie made dinner. "I'm so glad that went through so quick and smoothly," Jackie said as she pulled the pizza out of the oven, "I guess magic can be really helpful, can't it?"

"Oh yes," said Loki in return, "magic is not only helpful, but it is full of unseen knowledge waiting to be revealed. Once someone focuses in on what type of magic suits them, their minds expand and they see a whole new world."

Jackie was in awe, "Fascinating." She looked at the clock on the wall and started to clean up the kitchen. "It's getting late, and since I'm going to start school again tomorrow I'm going to go to bed."

"You're just going to hop right back into it so soon?" Loki questioned.

"Yeah, I think that'd be the best way for me," Jackie said as she finished putting the dishes in the dishwasher, "Tomorrow's Monday so it will be the beginning of a new school week, after school I'm going to go to volleyball practice, and in the evening I'm going to work."

Loki stared at her for a second "That whole burden right away? That seems like a lot to deal with."

Jackie took a breath and responded, "My family was on vacation for just over a week already before the attack, I was by myself in the city for two days before I met you, and it took us two days to drive home. Now I need to get back into my regular schedule or I might freak out. You know where the spare room is so goodnight."

With that she turned to walk away. Loki thought about what she had just said, especially when she said she was in New York for two days by herself. He realized that he hasn't found out how she survived the attack herself yet, but when he turned to ask her, she was already up the stairs and in her bedroom.

Oh well, Loki thought. It will be a question for another night.

* * *

**I don't know if I'm just a nerd but I found the "low-key" reference hysterical! (Low-key sounds like Loki...? No? Ok, I'll stop)**

**Back to the point, now that the setting and the characters are settled, the next couple of chapters will be more fun but also have plot development involved.**

**Just a P.S. I really don't know the specifics on adoption, so I was a little vague and just winged it - hope it worked out well enough!**

**Enjoy, R&R, thanks! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

"Your hair looks lighter," Chelsea said to Jackie for the third time since class started.

"Nope Chels, still brown, see?" Jackie replied as she sarcastically flipped her hair over her shoulder.

It was only first period and Jackie was already tired, but she knew coming back to school was a good idea. She had to get back on schedule before she got too used to sleeping until noon. This morning she woke up for school, and after getting dressed she went downstairs to find Loki already sitting at the counter reading a book.

"You're up early," Jackie said as she got a bowl of cereal.

"As are you," Loki turned the page and continued to read. It was silent for a moment before he looked up and noticed Jackie looking at the book. "I'm sorry, I found a shelf in the other room. I hoped you wouldn't mind."

"It's alright, I was just thinking that we only have one shelf of books, so I should take you to the library sometime where there's a lot more."

Loki's eyebrows rose, "A library? Is it like the Great Library on Asgard?"

"Well, it's a public library," Jackie chuckled, "so no, probably not." She noticed Loki's face fall ever so slightly, "But it's nice, none the less. And they most likely have books there that have never been in the library on Asgard."

This made Loki perk up and he smiled as he asked, "Can we go today?"

Jackie shook her head, "No, not today, I have volleyball practice after school and then I have to work this evening."

"Work?" Loki questioned, "It is not common for a young lady to be in employment on Asgard."

"It's not on Earth," Jackie replied, "I work as an instructor at the local karate studio in town."

Loki looked up at her, "Ah, a warrior, I have only met two female warriors in my time; one on Asgard and one while in New York."

She shook her head again, "I'm not a warrior, I have a black belt but I've never had to put it to use in the real world."

Interesting, her voice quivered slightly at that last part. Loki looked at his book again then back to Jackie. "Are you sure you have to work tonight? What am I to do all day?"

Jackie didn't need much time to think over that question, "Get a job, too." Loki looked appalled so she continued, "You'll just be sitting around all day if you don't. Just walk into town and apply for a few jobs, something that interests you, I don't know!"

Loki appeared confused and asked, "And how am I to do that?"

Jackie smirked, wiggled her fingers in the air and replied, "Magic." Before walking out the door and leaving for school.

And now here she was. Sitting in her boring history class with her best friend Chelsea asking her questions about what happened in New York. Her friends and other classmates were worried about her when they heard on the news about the attack, and were relieved to have her back. They offered their condolences about her family, but other than that, class continued on normally.

Except for Chelsea. She kept asking Jackie different questions all throughout the hour, and despite Jackie pretending to be annoyed by them, Jackie was really happy to be back with her best friend. However, Chelsea asked random and sometimes pointless questions instead of questions about her family and the attack, which Jackie was grateful for. She didn't want to answer those questions right now.

"Ok, ok," Chelsea said back to Jackie after asking about her hair color. "Anyways, are you going to come to practice after school?" Chelsea was on the same volleyball team as Jackie, "We need to get you back in the game before the tournament this weekend!"

"Yeah, I'm coming to practice," Jackie said, which made Chelsea do a quiet squeal in delight. Jackie smiled, her friend was always so energetic and cheerful. She looked at her worksheet then turned back to Chelsea, "Hey Chels, what year was Andrew Jackson president until?"

"Oh, who cares? You're coming back to practice! Things will actually be fun now!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"I'm sure it wasn't too bad while I was gone," Jackie said, their team was like a family, all the girls got along together so well.

"You know what I mean Jackie," Chelsea responded, "It's never the same without you."

* * *

Walking into town, Loki looked around at the different businesses running up and down Main Street; a hairdresser, an antique store, a bakery, an ice cream shop, a small bistro, and a clothing shop made up the bulk of it. He saw the karate studio Jackie had mentioned, then he saw what he had come for – the library. After Jackie left, Loki figured he could just find the library by himself, it was a small town after all, hard to get lost looking for it.

He walked in and went up to the counter where two middle aged women sat. "Hello," one of them said to him. She wore large glasses and her graying hair was tied up in a bun. "Need any help today?" She gave him a kind smile.

"Why, yes actually," Loki responded, "I haven't been to this establishment before…" He left the sentence open, hoping the lady with the nametag that read 'Susan' would understand his question without him necessarily having to ask it.

And she did. "Ah, alrighty then," Susan said, "You'll be needing a library card, then. Step right over to this computer and I'll set you up with one." He walked over and stood on the other side of the counter of the librarian at the computer. "With the card you'll be able to check out a maximum of 5 books at one time for a three week limit. After those three weeks each day overdue is a dime a day overdue charge. Since this is a public library books are free to check out, but the purchase of the card is five dollars."

Money, he knew this would come up eventually. Loki put his hand inside his jacket pocket and grabbed a scrap of paper, then twisted the matter into the appearance of a five dollar bill. He took the money out of his pocket and handed it to Susan. In return she handed him a card, it was a very simple procedure.

He thanked the librarian then went to scan the numerous book shelves, he had a feeling he'd be here for a while.

* * *

Jackie had forgotten how long the school day was. Also her volleyball practice. Practice was only two hours long, but it still managed to wear her out. Now she had an hour and a half until work, which was enough time to go home and study a little before leaving again for work.

She hoped on her bike and started to petal home. The high school was a short distance away from town, and as she biked through Main Street, she saw someone familiar walk out of the library with a handful of books. "Find it by yourself, then?" She said as she biked up to Loki.

He turned to look at her as she continued to ride her bike alongside him as he walked. "Yes, I figured it would be simple enough, as it was." He paused then added, "I also managed to get employed, like you suggested."

Jackie was surprised, "How'd you do that?"

He glanced at her, "You're shocked. You didn't think I would do it, but it was astonishingly easy. While browsing the selection on the shelves I came across a cart with an assortment of books on it. I looked at the authors names on each and proceeded to put them back on the shelves in their correct spots. The librarian Susan saw me and told me the only ones who worked there are her and the other woman, Mary. She said they could use some extra help and she offered me the job."

"Well that's great, now maybe we'll be able to afford groceries." Jackie thought for a moment, "And gas. I have a volleyball tournament in the next city over this weekend, and we're on E."

"Tournament?" Loki questioned.

"Yes, we spend a good part of the day playing other teams trying to beat them to win first place."

Loki paused, "And must I come?"

Jackie turned to him, "Yeah, you need to come because I'm a minor and you're my guardian."

He rose his eyebrows, "Hm, really?"

"And because I said so. End of discussion."

Loki smirked as they continued home. "Well, how can I refuse with such legitimate regulations?"

* * *

**We'll have some more fun next chapter, other then just random crap like in this one!**

**(sorry for any spelling or grammar mistakes, it's midnight and I'm to tired to edit the whole thing)**

**Please review! I'd love to heard what you guys have to say - praise or constructive criticism - I want to know what you think of the story so far!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the delay, I just had a whole week of try outs and had some relatives from out of town visit.**

**Thank you for pointing out Loki was a little out of character, I was going to add this in later in the story, but moved it forwards as to have the story and the characters make better sense.**

* * *

His cover-up was working flawlessly. While Loki had secured the petty library job, he had also paid a visit to the state capitol, and – using a few tricks of his – obtained a high authority job. Loki now had control over the state, he had men running around the state working for him, access to secret government cameras, and he even had the ability to alter laws at his whim. The governor himself was just a puppet to Loki, used for nothing more than a publicity face. Loki was surprised at how much the government can hide from its people, and this was just one state out of fifty. He wondered what it was like in Washington D.C., who the puppet master behind the president was, and what secrets they were hiding.

This was the opportune position for Loki. He was behind the line of fire, unseen by cameras but still held control. It was perfect for his plan to work himself to the top. To stay hidden until he knew he had power over over everything he desired. To take away freedom from the humans and give them the dictatorship they didn't know they craved.

He kept his plan small, though, for right now. None of the other government workers knew his real name or who he really was. Loki also kept his government job a secret from Jackie; she didn't need to get involved with this.

Everyday Loki would see Jackie off for school, and then leave himself for the capitol building. He didn't know how to drive, but instead would teleport himself to the building for a couple hours before leaving. His job didn't require much office time, and he was out and to his cover up job at the library before Jackie got done with volleyball practice.

This routine went on every day until Saturday, there was no school on Saturday and Loki didn't have to go to work. Instead, the two of them had a tournament to go to. Loki was an early riser and was always awake before Jackie, and on Saturday she came down the stairs wearing her uniform with a pair of warm up pants and had a gym bag slung over her shoulder.

"We have to leave in five minutes, take off that tie and dress casually. Where are my knee pads? Oh, there they are. Shoes, keys, Gatorade – check, check, check." Jackie scrambled to get everything together before they had to depart. She looked up at Loki who was watching her from the kitchen table, "What are you doing? Go take off that tie; this is a volleyball tournament not a business meeting!"

He took off the tie he was wearing but left on the button up shirt. He wasn't very good at casual yet, seeing as both times he's been out of his armor before he'd been wearing Midgardian suits. But he knew jeans were of the casual sort, so he put a pair of those on before they left.

The tournament was in a city half an hour away from where they lived, and while Jackie was driving she turned to Loki and said "I should teach you how to drive, you wanna learn?"

Loki grimaced slightly, "Why on Earth would I need to learn how to drive?"

Jackie shrugged, "I don't know, you might need to some day. Whatever, we're here." The tournament was held at a large complex, and Jackie parked the car and the two walked into the building. There were eight volleyball courts inside, four on the west side of the building and four on the east, with a wide path containing spectator bleachers separating them. Games had already started on a couple of the courts.

Jackie and Loki walked over to the sidelines wear her team was getting ready for their first game. She got to the edge of the circle were everyone was sitting and tying their shoes, her teammates looked up and greeted her excitedly.

"Morning guys" Jackie said as she took off her warm up pants.

Chelsea nudged her and asked, "Who's that?"

She was looking at Loki, he was still standing behind Jackie, not quite sure of what to do with himself now. Her other teammates also looked at Loki in question. "Oh, I almost forgot! This is my new guardian, erm, Tom." Loki shot a quick look at Jackie and then gave a small smile to her team as they said hello to him. "Come with me Tom," Jackie said to him, "I'll show you where to sit."

He followed her as she led him to the section of bleachers; each court had its own portion of bleachers, roughly 20 feet long and 5 rows high. Loki chuckled as they walked over, "Tom?" he questioned her.

She shrugged, "First thing that came to my head. Can't call you Loki or they'll attack you or something." They got to the bleachers, "Here, sit here with the other parents and watch the game. If you want someone to explain how the game works ask Mel, she's Chelsea's mom." Jackie pointed to a blonde woman who sat on the bleachers before walking away.

Most of the morning consisted of games, Mel would explain certain rules and guidelines of the sport to 'Tom', and the team was doing great winning game after game until it was time for the championship match. That was when the accident happened. Jackie was playing her position in the front row when she jumped up to 'block the hit' as Mel had explained. The girl on the other side of the net landed first, with her foot crossing the line under the net that divided the court. Jackie came down after her, and landed on the other girl's foot, causing her ankle to twist.

Jackie let out a pained yelp and landed on the ground, and held her foot. Her coach called a time out and her team went to her aid, but Jackie couldn't walk on her ankle, so Loki got up and went over to her. Jackie's teammates parted to let him through and he bent down next to Jackie. She looked up at him with watering eyes. "Let me help" He said as he placed one arm around Jackie's back and the other under her knees. Loki lifted her and brought her to the far end of the bench to sit her down.

"I'm going to take off your shoe to look at this better" Loki said as he gently took off Jackie's shoes, causing her to wince a little. He looked at her ankle and said, "Nothing too serious, just a sprain, do you want some ice?"

Jackie nodded and Loki glanced left and right, no one appeared to be watching. He lightly grabbed her sprained ankle with both of his hand and Jackie watched in amazement as his hands turned dark blue and got ice cold. "Is there something you're not telling me?" Jackie looked at Loki with confusion written across her face.

Loki sighed, "This is not the appropriate location to have that converstation."

"How could you tell it was just a sprain?"

"When I hold your ankle, I can feel the matter on the inside. All the atoms that make up bones, muscle tissue, or skin. I can sense where the ligament is torn but I can feel no disturbance in the bone, thus categorizing it as a sprain."

"That's incredible," Jackie breathed, "You have those powers as a sorcerer?"

"Yes." He curtly replied.

"Incredible." Jackie whispered again.

* * *

Jackie had to sit out for the remainder of the game, and she watched her team win the title. Jackie and Loki returned home, and they sat in the kitchen before Jackie started to speak again. "How long have you been practicing magic?"

"Many many years have I been involved in sorcery on my old home Asgard." Loki responded casually.

"Is it hard to learn?" she asked.

"Magic is simply one's ability to focus on the matter around them. Once you have a clear and alert mind, it becomes easy to wield magic. The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper."**

Jackie paused for a moment before slowly asking, "Do you think you can teach me?"

Loki looked up, surprised, and he thought about it, "I suppose the human mind has enough potential to learn, although it has not been done before. We can try, and see what becomes of it." Jackie looked ecstatic, and had a huge smile on her face, "Now?" Loki asked her and she nodded her head up and down, "Alright, come with me."

* * *

****quote by W.B. Yeats, an Irish poet.**

**If Loki still seems out of character, just hold on, it will all make sense in the chapters to come!**

**I don't know if it was just me, but I got a kick out of the whole 'Tom' thing, I was giggling to myself as I typed it :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Writers block, school, whatever, I'm not even going to try to make up an excuse for my delay in updating. I guess I sort of put this on the back burner, thinking it wasn't very important, but now I realize there are at least a few people who read this, and I'm really sorry about my delay to those of you who actually enjoy reading this story.**

**On another note, Thor: The Dark World is less than 1 month away! I'm hoping I can take the plot to the movie and bend it into the ending of this story!**

**Just one more quick note, on this chapter I really tried to increase my writing quality, and I hope it sounds ok or even better than it did before!**

**Ok, I lied; I actually have one last thing to say. The (**) in the last chapter was there for a reason, but I forgot to add it to the authors note at the end of the chapter. Loki said a and I just wanted to make sure credit was given, so I went back and added it to last chapter's bottom authors note if anyone cares.**

**STORY TIME!**

* * *

Jackie followed Loki out the back door and into the yard to the sand volleyball pit. When the two of them got to the edge of the pit, Loki sat down and motioned for Jackie to do the same. She sat eagerly in the grass wondering if this was really going to work, if she could actually learn magic. Jackie fidgeted excitedly and looked all around her; to the trees lightly scattering the yard, to the water weeds dividing the pond from the yard, to Loki sitting across from her, to the sky above the open area they were sitting in.

"Stop fidgeting," Loki scowled with a slightly annoyed tone of voice. Jackie hadn't realized Loki was waiting for her and so she immediately went still with her hands in her lap. "You can't be distracted while doing this, so you must block all else out now."

Jackie nodded and Loki continued to speak. She worked hard to listen only to his voice, to focus only on what he was saying. "The most important thing you could learn is to sense the separate atoms in any object. Atoms and matter is what makes up this realm and all the other realms as well, magic is simply the reorganization of the atoms. Hold out your hands."

She stuck out her arms with her palms up towards Loki. He put a golf ball sized rock in her right hand and a handful of sand from the pit beside them in her left.

"Now," Loki stated, "which one of these is easier to hold?"

"The rock." Jackie answered, pausing for a moment before adding, "I have to cup my hands to keep the sand from falling out."

"Yes, the rock may be easier to hold because it is one solid, but," Loki scooped up his own handful of sand, "sand molecules are just as solid. Sand is crushed rock, correct? With rock there is no way for air, but with sand, air molecules can squeeze in between and around every grain. If you have a strong enough focus on both the air and rock molecules, you can begin to force the air molecules out and condense the sand into rock again."

As Loki displayed this as he spoke. The air was invisible, but Jackie could see the sand in Loki's palm slowly start to squeeze together and from one solid, smooth, perfectly round stone. He handed it to Jackie and she rolled it around in her hands.

While Jackie examined the rock, Loki pulled something out of his pocket. It was a green emerald the size of a dime, imbedded onto a slightly larger round silver disc with raised edges and an intricate criss-cross design. It was hanging from a golden chain. Loki handed the necklace to Jackie and she looked at the beautiful stone while he said, "This emerald has enchantments on it that have helped me when I was first starting sorcery, its purpose is to help trigger your senses and to allow you the initial feel of magic."

"It's beautiful." Jackie breathed as she hooked the clasp around her neck. "Is this the reason why you prefer to wear green?" She looked at his shirt, Loki had gotten good at casual dressing, but most t-shirts he wore were a deep green or a shade of black.

Loki smirked, "You could think that."

Once the necklace was on her neck, Loki placed sand in Jackie's hand once more. Jackie closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to focus on the sand. The necklace didn't conduct the magic for her, all it did was cause Jackie's palm to tingle slightly underneath the sand. But that was all she needed, because after the tingle gave Jackie the push she needed, she felt her mind connect with the sensing of separate atoms.

Jackie could feel the air molecules and the more dense grains of sand, and focusing on moving the air to the outside of the sand, Jackie succeeded in solidifying the sand into a rock.

She smiled widely, and then grimaced slightly, "It's a bit lumpy." She held it out to Loki.

Loki gave her a smile, "It's a good job for your first go, now we're going to try something different." Loki set Jackie's lumpy rock down next to his smooth one and picked up a stick from a neighboring tree. He handed the stick to Jackie and told her to feel for the atoms.

"Yes, I can feel them." She said as he took the stick back. Loki snapped it in half and handed it back to her.

"Now I want you to focus on what you felt, and now bond the two halves back together."

It took a few minutes, but Jackie finally got the broken stick mended. She smiled brightly, it felt great to be able to do this. "What else is there you can teach me?" she asked eagerly.

"One more thing for now," Loki said, "it involves moving objects. Like everything else, you have to focus on the matter." Loki picked up the smooth, round rock, "But this time, focus on the atoms _around_ the object. Instead of changing to rock molecules, you want to reorganize the air molecules from the front to the back as to move the rock towards you. Try."

So Jackie did. Air molecules from the front to the back, but also keep them underneath to hold the rock in the air. Jackie focused on that pattern of front to back and the rock gently lifted out of Loki's palm and floated across the air to her. She dropped the rock when it came to a hover above her lap. "Fantastic." She whispered.

They sat there for a few more minutes as Jackie moved the rock back and forth and up and down in the air. Then a beeping sound came from her pocket and she dropped the rock again. Jackie pulled out her cell phone to turn off her alarm.

"Come on," Jackie said to Loki as she started to stand up, "we've got stuff to do."

Loki looked at her questionably as he stood up as well, "What?"

She smiled, "It's October!" Loki raised his eyebrows and gave a look of confusion. Jackie laughed at him and started walking to the car parked in the driveway, "C'mon!"

Loki paused for a moment before deciding to go with it and followed Jackie.

* * *

**Once again, I'm sorry to keep you waiting, and I PROMISE the next chapter will be up by Halloween at the LATEST.**

**Thanks for sticking around ;)**


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